Lotus Year 96
Things have started to change around here since my conversation with Hirake. Some things have been agreed upon. It bothers me there is no way for us to make a deal that is mediated by the system. I even thought about having Suzuki seal the deal between us, but I got the bad news that Suzuki cannot mediate deals, only make deals between her and another being. Hirake in turn said I just needed to wait, that as soon as he was recognized as the king, he could make his own deals supervised by the system. I don''t really know how he will do that he will do that, but I think it''s best not to take this deal too seriously until it gains some real weight.
One of the things Hirake agreed with was that I would help him by providing the strength of my temple for whatever he needed, and in exchange, the members of my temple would gain many advantages, connections, and resources. At first, Selene didn''t like the idea of ??allying herself with the crown very much; she seems to have rebellious blood running through her veins. But as soon as she learned that her temple would be basically on the same level as the crown, and that she would sit at the top of it all, her eyes began to shine with greed and pride.
Selene has a lot of faith, so much so that she thought that my freaking out with the flute girl was entirely the flute girl''s fault, as if she had committed some kind of offense against me or deliberately tried to "attack our faith." This didn''t gain much traction outside the temple, and as I told Selene myself through [Whispering Mist], the girl didn''t do anything wrong. The music was beautiful, to the point of being hypnotizing. The only problem was the memories that the music brought back to me.
The... event that happened had some varied results to say the least, a few were injured, which made people fear me and turn away from my faith, but on the other hand my presence brought something else unexpected: worship. Some people were amazed by my power, they admired me for the ease with which I dealt with Hirake, and how I was able to attack others without anyone noticing until the last second.
Add to that the fact that I had "killed" all the plants around the lake, and caused the water channels connected to the lake to dry up, and soon i had people praying in groups then performing some kind of strange ritual intended to calm me. They burned incense, rang brass bells, and even went so far as to wrap things like “wooden dolls, flesh and bones in cloth bundles” and throw them into the lake. And when my conversation with Hirake ended and I got things back to normal, they believed that their actions were the cause of my "satisfaction".
I guess that''s how a culture is born? If they believe that whenever the lake dries up, all they need to do to make it come back is dance, sing and pray, then they are very stupid, but lovable idiots.
I also had some problems with this whole situation, and clearly the most unhappy with all of this is Suzuke, who didn''t like the fact that I was dishonoring our agreement. Honestly I couldn''t be less worried about what Kiiro will be; for me the ideal is that he becomes a super powerful magician who will take Selene''s place in the future and protect me with all his body and soul, but if he becomes a butcher, a scribe, or a farmer, that doesn''t affect me at all, all I need to do is make sure that I''m not the reason for his death.
Suzuke is so annoying sometimes; she thinks she can boss me around or force me to do things I don''t want to do, I''m really tempted to drown her in the lake or feed her to my pets, I just don''t do it because I would have to go to the trouble of finding someone to take care of Kiiro, or worse, I would have to take care of him myself.
Anyway, to fulfill my part of the deal with Hirake, I kind of agreed to be his guardian spirit, but honestly? Whatever, I gain his protection and direct access to the heart of power, and all I need to do in return is help him with my magic and make sure he stays on top. It may not seem like it, but I can be very useful when I want to be, my magic is very strong and malleable when compared to others, of course I can''t summon spirits or create golems by reading words from a book, but I can create magical formations that can remain active for a very, very long time, as long as I keep feeding them with my magical power.
Some examples of this are the waterfall in my cave, it "falls" upwards because of my magical interference, the water that I generate infinitely is also thanks to the combination of magic and skills, my "persona" that I use to interact with the world is also nothing more than a cheap magic trick. Also, I can do some extra fun tricks, like creating a sort of magical "Telephone". Simply put, I have skills that can imitate the sounds I''ve heard, so all I need to do is connect 2 people through the lake''s gems, and sort of imitate the phones from my old world.
''The only problem is that it requires a lot of mental and physical effort... Hmmm... Never mind, I can just limit the number of magic phones and the time to use them.''
My magical formations are very good and quite useful, but everything has a price in this world, everything I do needs to be maintained; for example, if I lost consciousness right now, all my active magics would stop working immediately, the lake would stop being fed with new water, the waterfall would collapse and the entire cave would be flooded with the lake''s water, probably killing all the vegetation inside.
When you think about it like that, it''s pretty stupid to keep a huge hole in the cave that could end up flooding if I go into suspended hibernation or something, but there''s not much i can do about it anyway, filling the hole would take a lot of time and effort. And it wouldn''t really look good, since my specialty is water, not rocks and earth, and my [Earth Wardens] aren''t exactly the best for heavy work - they can dig holes, but they''re not very good at creating dams.
Anyway, I can worry about creating a drain later, and if the things in the cave die from the water… whatever, I can do it all over again anyway, and if one day I really need to go into suspended hibernation, that means something or someone has hurt me so badly that I am forced to use my last resort. In that case, I''m more than happy to flood the cave to drown an unwanted intruder. Magic works in mysterious ways. It''s like a force capable of giving physical form to your imagination, and that''s why it attracts me so much. I could focus on things like rituals and summoning, but that has little appeal to me compared to the vastness of magic. So far I know 4 different types of magic, elemental magic - what I and most Tieflings use, which can manipulate elements of nature, bending them according to your will and ability. "Circle magic", which is the magic everyone can use as long as they have the necessary knowledge. Summoning magic, a magic capable of summoning spirits, elementals, golems and things like that; I have a skill version of this magic, but I know there are ways to summon magical creatures using pure magic instead of skills, do I know how? Not exactly, but I''ll get there one day. And finally, bloodline magic. This last one is newer and I have little knowledge about it, but apparently this is the Tieflings'' specialty, it is a magic passed down through the blood, and has unique and special powers.
Bloodline magic seems to be all or nothing - either you get a lot of bonuses brought by your bloodline, or you die due to high stillbirth and childhood mortality rates. There are some questions I have about this type of magic, such as: is it possible to unite 2 different bloodlines and create a new one? Is it possible to eliminate the negative points of each bloodline? And is there any way to increase the chances of success?
Bloodline magic is dangerous, but rewarding too, and apparently there are also degrees of bloodline purity, the higher the purity of someone''s bloodline, the higher the powers and gifts, and the smaller the disadvantages. There are also cases where some descendants awaken only part of the bloodline''s power. As for Kiiro''s power, if we were to use logical reasoning, Kiiro''s mother, Suzuke, should be blind as a mole like him, but no, she has 2 perfectly healthy eyes, but she has a high concentration of mana - much higher than the average Tiefling, while Kiiro has the power to see mana, but lost his common vision in the process, he also has a high purity of mana, but still inferior compared to his mother.
It''s probably Suzuke''s fault, marrying a commoner with no lineage or significant powers ended up "damaging" her lineage, and the one who paid the price for Suzuke''s recklessness was no one else but Kiiro, who barely has the benefits of his lineage, but carries several debuffs generated by it.
Coming to think of it... I think that''s why Suzuke spent her whole life trying to "fix" Kiiro''s blindness? I think she knew it was her fault that Kiiro ended up like this. Of course, she doesn''t have a crystal ball to know if the fruit of her love would be healthy or not, but she has her share of blame for this. After all, she knew she had a bloodline, and yet she decided to marry and have children with someone who would certainly only weaken that bloodline.
Looking back, Suzuke was really stupid not to accept Hirake''s advances. He''s a kind of strange guy but good-natured, and his high level would certainly result in better fruits than Kiiro.
''Hmm... seeing their choices come back to bite them is pretty fun, I think I''ll have a lot of entertainment from now on.''
<hr>
Lotus Year 96
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Today is a special day, at least for Hirake. He had summoned several nobles and a large audience in front of my temple to receive the blessing of the Lady of the lake. We had talked a little beforehand, and I will give him a [Unique] blessing and accept his request for me to become his sponsor.
From the looks of things, this request is not an easy one for a Tiefling to make, since you have to put your own soul on the table as a bargaining chip, but as the saying goes, high risks, high rewards. If I accept the deal, Hirake will "merge" with my own primordial energy and transmute into a new being, gaining part of my power, unlimited access to my energy and knowledge, and all my affinities/talents. All in exchange for his soul and eternal servitude. Once the deal is sealed, we will be forever linked - Hirake will never be able to separate himself from me, and I cannot cancel the sponsorship agreement with Hirake, at least not in the conventional way, I can kill him and put an end to all this, but if I die Hirake will lose practically all his powers, which is great news for me, since it is clear who is the servant and who is the master.
Selene was a little apprehensive, jealous if I am to be more specific. As my faithful she had many advantages given by me, but nothing compares to a sponsorship agreement. Of course, unlike Hirake''s plan, Selene kept her soul due to her fanatical devotion, while Hirake would have to sell his soul to gain his gifts given by me.
I think the unluckiest one in all of this was Suzuke. She doesn''t have a soul to trade for the sponsorship agreement, and she doesn''t have my protection. If anyone knew about our agreement, they might say that she should have thought about trading her soul for the sponsorship agreement instead of Kiiro''s eternal protection. But cards on the table, if Suzuke had offered me this kind of deal before, I probably would have accepted, but not cared what happens to her son. In that sense, Suzuke basically sold her present to buy Kiiro''s future..
Thanks to the deal I made with Suzuke, I am obligated to take care of Kiiro. And the best way to do that is to make him powerful enough to take care of himself, so of course I will invest my best resources and whatever time is needed in this boy, even if in the end he proves to be otherwise useless. I''m even thinking of ways to tie him to other important families, since if he can live under the protection of these people then I wouldn''t need to worry about him so much. I think it shouldn''t be that hard to find someone interested in tying Kiiro to one of their children in the future, after all, even if they of "Low quality", Kiiro still has a royal bloodline, and Selene''s favor, so anyone interested in a free bloodline and gaining the temple''s influence would be more than happy to play matchmaker with me.
The small ceremony was more for political purposes than necessary, since there is no specific procedure for a Tiefling to offer a request for sponsorship to a higher entity, we could do it in a hurry or with rituals to add a feeling of tradition.
Since Hirake was trying to become a king, he needed to play by the right rules.If you want to win the hearts of the people, you need to put on a little show, tell them that you respect tradition and their ways, even if at the end of the day it is just a bunch of meaningless nonsense.
In the center of the temple square, a large formation of rune scriptures was placed on the ground in a circle - a bit of magic that was more there to add mystical ambiance than to assist with the magical ritual.
Some people in cloth masks were playing drums around the square, accompanied by torches and stone statues. Selene was facing a small stone altar inside the circle of runes, placed there specifically for the event. On top of the altar were lit candles made of lard, parchments, shells and magic stones accompanied by a large knife made of an unknown metal and a wooden chalice encrusted with jewels. Around the square, many hooded figures wearing thick cloaks were staring fixedly at Hirake, the only uncovered figure present aside from Selene.
"The blessing ritual will begin now!" Selene proclaimed loudly.
Soon whispers began to emanate from the crowd, the drums beat louder, and the circle of runes on the floor began to glow with a faint blue light. Undaunted, Hirake walked slowly into the circle of runes until he reached Selene.
"The Blood binds..." Selene said calmly, bowing slightly to Hirake as she handed him the knife.
Hirake took the knife from Selene''s hands, raising it in the air just above his head so that everyone could see it, generating a susurration from the audience. Selene then calmly took the wooden chalice and cupped it with both hands, while standing in front of Hirake.
Hirake, without hesitation, raised his arm not holding the knife, and cut his wrist vertically until it reached the middle of his forearm. The cut was not deep enough to be a serious wound, but large enough to create a constant flow of blood that dripped from Hirake''s arm and filled the chalice held by Selene.
Once the chalice was filled, Selene turned to the altar, leaving Hirake alone to tend to his wounds. She gently placed the chalice on the altar before kneeling in front of it and beginning to pray silently. Whispers began echoing through the square, as a dense fog filled the area leaving everyone intrigued. Unexpectedly, the flames of the torches and candles went out all at once, before lighting up again much brighter and now a vibrant shade of blue.
Amidst Selene''s prayers, the blood in the chalice began changing. The liquid, which was previously red and opaque, begins to be stained a vibrant blue which shone like the stars. This quickly consumed all of the blood in the chalice, leaving behind only deep cerulean water glowing dimly
Selene took the chalice containing the mysterious liquid, walked over to Hirake, and hands him the chalice, softly saying the next words of the ritual.
"Souls intertwine..." Selene said.
Hirake took the chalice with both hands, brought it to his mouth, and drank the entire contents of the chalice while subtly sending me the sponsorship request.
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<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 1.57978%" colspan="2">[Notice]</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center" colspan="2">The individual [Hirake] is attempting to form a binding pact with you, accepting the pact will result in gaining the individual [Hirake]''s soul at the cost of 60% of your current energy reserves.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); background-color: rgba(54, 81, 120, 1); width: 58.9249%" border="1">
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 99.8035%" colspan="3">Accept?</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 51.4079%" colspan="2">Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 48.3956%">No</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
''Damn... 60% Of my current energy reserves? That''s... the equivalent of months of energy generation! Hmmm... I''ll definitely charge Hirake for that later.'' I thought as I selected ''Yes''.
As soon as I selected the ''yes'' option, I felt my energy reserves being rapidly sucked out of me, leaving me momentarily dizzy. I could see Hirake falling to the ground in agony as my energy began to invade his body like a sponge soaking up water.
Hirake began to scream at the top of his lungs, while the people around him just watched his suffering closely. Glowing blue veins began to appear on Hirake''s body as a slow transformation began to take place. Hirake''s skin began to change from its previous beige tone to a deep blue with some golden streaks, making his skin look like a lapis lazuli jewel, while his skin and muscles writhed as if worms were moving under his flesh. Hirake seemed like at any moment he would faint from the pain, but the transformation did not stop happening. His purple hair was dyed a deep blue, his coral-like horns grew larger, spreading outwards as they curved and took on a deep jet-black tone. His teeth sharpened into points, followed by his amber eyes turning gold.
"...and your fate is sealed." Selene concludes.
Soon Hirake''s transformation is complete, and I can feel something coming off of him and flowing into me. I knew what it was but even so, the whole process of receiving payment was quite impressive and curious.
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 1.57978%" colspan="2">Notice</td>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 1.57978%" colspan="2">
You have received the soul of [Hirake], you can consume it to increase your XP gain permanently or use it in other ways.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1); background-color: rgba(54, 81, 120, 1); width: 66.2944%" border="1">
<tbody>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 1.57978%" colspan="2">Notice</td>
</tr>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 1.57978%" colspan="2">
The binding pact with the individual [Hirake] has been concluded.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
''Wow! I can consume souls to increase my XP gain? Now we''re talking! I can exchange blessings for souls and consume them to gain more XP!''
Hirake''s soul entered me and disappeared. I think it fused with my own soul, or it''s stored somewhere inside me... I don''t know how to deal with souls so I''m not sure. But I certainly won''t miss this tempting meal.
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 99.825%" colspan="3">Warning
</td>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 99.825%" colspan="3">
Consuming [Hirake] soul will result in his death, proceed?
</td>
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<td style="text-align: center; width: 50.7721%" colspan="2">
Yes
</td>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 49.0529%">
No
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
''Damn it! I can''t eat his soul without killing him?! What a waste!''
Well, I have to say that this is both good and bad news. The good news is that containing Hirake, who is currently the biggest threat in this place, just got even easier. If he does something stupid, I just need to eat his soul and that''s it. The problem is that it''s not worth consuming his soul now that I have a pact with him.
''Hmm... So I just need to wait to consume his soul until his physical body dies naturally or he loses his usefulness... this pact is definitely worth it.''
Hirake finally came back to reality, staggering o his feet, inspecting his new body with puzzlement, he then turned to his audience before raising his hand to the sky while giving a great shout of victory, an act that is soon repeated by everyone present.
"Hail to the king! Hail to the king!" The crowd shouted as Hirake looked over the crowd with satisfaction.